The latest installment of one of the many Prow Sagas of Kirklees continued with a meeting at Holmfirth Civic Hall on 7th March to discuss forming a Friends of Ramsden Road Group. Chaired once again by the same Kirklees manager who but a year ago promised to fend off all 4×4’s with a TRO prior to fixing the road (Read the email in Ramsden Road) . Promises which have proved to be little more than empty words. No surprises there then!
The meeting was attended by 12 members of the public. 10 from groups representing motor vehicles users and 2 from walkers groups. There was only one model for a “Friends of Ramsden Road Group” on offer and that was the councils. The deal is that the Friends Group would raise the funds (several hundred thousand pounds), come up with a scheme of work, identify and engage contractors, be responsible for health & safety, have it’s own bank account,contribute physically to the works on site and in effect do the councils job for it.
None of the 12 members of the public present had any experience of raising that level of funding nor of procuring civil engineering works etc etc. It would seem the councils only aim here is to pass the responsibility for the state of Ramsden Road onto someone else as quickly as possible and without thinking to much about it. A case of asking for volunteers to step forward whilst taking two big steps back itself. Oh dear,how sad,what a pity, never mind as Windsor Davies might have said.
In a recent letter to an interested party the council’s Greenspace Manager justified the current lack of council action thus “The route has been in a state of disrepair for some period of time and whilst it is recognised there is a need for action,it is more important to ensure that any interventions undertaken are useful and sustainable,not reactive or short term” I don’t think anyone could accuse Kirklees of being “reactive or short term” given the problems were first brought to their attention in 2006!
Path Watch 